[MUSIC] Well now we're going to get into something exciting, and we're going to talk about this word critiques so let's go. In some situations, the word critique has negative connotations. When most people hear anything that sounds like the word, criticism. They naturally get a bit edgy. And view that as something to be avoided whenever possible. In the context of the education of photographers here at Michigan State University, however, that word is related to a very positive experience in the classroom. One of a vibrant exchange of ideas, and evaluations by peers, related to one or more photographs put forward by the student whose work is being reviewed, or being critiqued. Peer review is the boiler plate terminology here in the world of Coursera. For occasions of exchange of ideas between learners about their individual assignments. While Mark and I have had to accept that structure for that format in this online learning environment, we know that it has been a struggle for some of you, as it has been at times for us, in terms of sharing and gaining very useful feedback. The struggles have come, we believe, primarily from two things. First is the difficulty of engaging in a conversation of any real meaning and length. Within the structure of written assignments in an online course enrolling large numbers of learners, especially when grading has to be factored in. Second is the attitude on the part of some learners that the peer reviews were a bit of a chore. Rather than an exciting opportunity to grow in knowledge as a photographer, resulting in some learners not having enough assessments made of their works and some of those assessments have frankly been, well, let's just say underwhelming. An let's admit it, not really relevant and yes sometimes they've even been mean. We are confident that the peer review, also know as the critique experience of this course, is going to be quite different. First, you're learners of a higher order than most. And there are fewer of you. You're a community with community values of support. Individually you've recognized that the commitment you're making to this course is really a long term one compared to other courses. And you've made an even longer term commitment to yourself. You're here to establish an important marker in your development as a photographer. To create a set of photographs that may be completed at the end of the course, but could well be the first set of photographs in a project that continues long into the future. In short, we fully expect that you will all participate in truly meaningful ways when you put your works forward and when you respond to those of your fellow photographers in the peer review assignments. Second, peer reviews have been designed differently than in previous courses. They're designed in a manner to encourage completely open and completely frank sharing. Both by the photographer posting their words and images, and their peers who respond to them. As truly dedicated learners, you know that you learn as much by the creative and intellectual activity of responding to photographs as you do by the activities related to making photographs. The structure for peer reviews is designed to give you the opportunity to see the contributions of every other participant if you like. And we hope you'll take full advantage of learning from as many of their photographs and statements as possible. This is the time of intensive activity, and there's no hiding that fact. It's better to embrace it. Let's consider the reasons that we engage in meaningful critiques here at MSU and also here in the Coursera capstone. What do we learn from this exercise? Well, in important ways, we look in the mirror first and engage in the act of critique for ourselves. Before we upload our photographs for others to review. In assessing our own photographs before deciding which to share for review, we have to make important judgements. We must first decide for ourselves, what makes a picture successful? We test our impressions of quality against our own set of standards. We compare our photographs to one another and determine which ones a vote the greatest, creative, intellectual or emotional responses. Those are all things we will do when we evaluate the work of others also. A critique also includes putting ourselves in shoes of the photographer so to speak. What did the photographer decide was the subject? And what do we think the subject is? Sometimes those are very different things. What photographic techniques did the photographer use to achieve their goals? I used a flashlight with about a 15 second exposure and a handheld camera. For these photographs from my Paris series. I used, Impossible brand, Polaroid SX70 film. Could you have figured that out on your own? When we assess another photographer's pictures, we may ask ourselves whether we can identify the techniques. Whether we know how to use them and what those techniques are and could we duplicate them? If we can't determine that techniques exactly, then what does that tell us about the picture and about the photographer's purpose? What did the photographer decide were the important visual elements? Did they choose to emphasize shape over form? As in this picture. Or texture more than tonal value, or did line and pattern play important roles? In analyzing a photograph, we pick these pictures apart. As if it were a machine we were disassembling to understand how it's parts fit together to make it move. How are those visual elements organized? Was it symmetry as in this picture, or asymmetry? Or did perspective, or perhaps the golden mean play the stronger role in composition? Finally, in describing our responses to these various elements we will want to use the vocabulary of professional photographers or terms of art that are recognized as being appropriate to a conversation between photographers who've gone beyond their rank armature level as usually have. I've used a number of those trends already. From shape to asymmetry and everything in between that's specific to the vocabulary of serious people creating photographs that are purposeful. What terms of art would you use to describe the essential elements of this photograph of my finger puppet at the gate of Buckingham Palace. Well the reading that I've placed in this lesson for you gives a detailed set of parameters of steps for engaging in a critique. And I want you to use that as a guide in the opportunities you'll have, to fill in those ungraded text boxes that are part of our peer review. I hope that it will help you in responding in meaningful ways to your fellow photographers' pictures and also as you evaluate and critique your own photographs. I'm ending with this photograph of my favorite finger puppet, who's joined in a fun conversation by a little stick-puppet of William Henry Fox Talbot, who invented the positive-negative process in photography. I made the picture at Fox Talbot's home Laycock Abbey in England. It's a national trust property which I hope you'll be able to visit someday yourself. The picture is here, because I think it is both successfully exposed, composed, and has the element of fun as its content. Because I want to end this somewhat serious topic of critique with the admonishment that whatever you do in critiquing your own photographs and those of your peers, make it a fun and exciting experience for everyone. [MUSIC]